Contemporary music feast in store for fans

While obvious Chinese elements can be found in the two pieces, Man Jiang Hong, Guo Wenjing's latest work, presents an ancient Chinese figure in a rather innovative and Western way.

Man Jiang Hong is a poem attributed to the legendary Song Dynasty general Yue Fei, a patriot and national hero.

"Frankly speaking, I felt it was not an easy feat when I got the topic," says Guo in a phone interview with China Daily. "Everything was right there in the poem - Yue Fei's punctilious character and of his prowess on the battlefield."

Troubled by the limitations of the existing content, he says that the melody that ran through his brain was composed of bad notes, until he found a short lyrical poem titled Man Jiang Hong published in a music magazine in the early 1920s.

"I don't know who wrote it, but it really made me realize that writing about a hero that we know all too well doesn't have to be limited to a traditional label we tagged to him," said Guo.

The three movements of the symphony piece, titled Death of the Hero, Funeral and Spiritual Rebirth, respectively, tells a brave man's posthumous story, leaving enough space for the orchestra to elaborate and for the audiences to imagine.

"A Chinese instrument is not a necessity to present an 'abstract ancient hero' in this piece," says Guo, "but the ancient Western music form, passacaglia, works well while presenting the Chinese theme."

"The three original pieces have distinctive features and should charm and invigorate the audience," says Yu Long, artistic director of the Beijing Music Festival.

"As the best music festival in China, we have the responsibility to promote Chinese composers and music. Thanks to Hangzhou Philharmonic for commissioning such great works," he says.

wangyanfei@chinadaily.com.cn